“Something Is Off Here”: People Notice Bizarre Details In Photo Of Selena Gomez And Influencer

Jason Sargent Friday, April 3, 2026

Seema SinhaFri, April 3, 2026 at 11:13 PM UTC

Selena Gomez’s latest effort to promote her brand, Rare Beauty, went viral for all the wrong reasons.

On Wednesday, April 1, the singer participated in a Rare Beauty X Sephora event where she was styled by makeup artist Hung Vanngo, who was also responsible for her Oscars 2025 look.

Gomez was joined at the event by several influencers and a popular New York esthetician, Natalie Violette, with whom she clicked a picture that went viral, with netizens focusing on her intense expression.

“Why are her eyes like that?” one asked, while another confidently noted, “She had work done to her face.”

Selena Gomez was subjected to social media ridicule this week, with her facial expression taking center stage

Image credits: selenagomez/Instagram

Both Gomez and Violette were clicked from the waist up and were seen rocking matching black outfits.

Their makeups were nearly identical as well, with both flaunting rosy cheeks, full eyebrows, and neutral lips.

The immaculate profiles of the ladies, however, failed to draw as much attention as Gomez’s allegedly “unnatural glance” and “fake smile.”

Image credits: selenagomez/Instagram

“She looks so AI here,” one said, while another added, “I’m shook, she’s acting so different… like a robot.”

“This picture is so edited,” a third remarked.

“Something is off here,” the next voice agreed.

Image credits: WorldwideSelG/X

Other comments under the picture took on a more humorous tone.

“Was the influencer stepping on her toe?” one asked.

“That smile looks like she just heard the craziest gossip,” a second added.

Image credits: WorldwideSelG/X

“Selena, blink twice if you need help,” a separate user jested.

“Girl, breathe, it’s okay,” another advised.

At the event, Gomez teased the launch of a new Rare Beauty product.

More unflattering comments overshadowed the release of the brand-new Rare Beauty product

The businesswoman opted for a pink mini dress for the reveal of the True To Myself Natural Matte Rare Beauty foundations at an event hosted at The West Hollywood Edition hotel in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 2.

The coverage cream is set to be sold at $38 and comes in 48 different shades.

It is said to be both cruelty-free and paraben-free. It is also vegan.

Not caring much about Rare Beauty’s evolution, netizens debated Gomez’s eligibility to sell makeup, accusing her of using Botox and fillers to modify her appearance.

Image credits: RougeLady1977

Image credits: Naijagist02

“Did you watch any videos of her speaking at the event? She has frozen half her face,” one wrote.

“She needs to stop those injections,” another said.

“Looking a mess,” a following user opined.

Criticism was also directed at her dress, with many saying “it looked like a plastic bin bag,” as it “lacked structure” and had extra material poking out from under the hem.

Image credits: selenagomez/Instagram

The dress’s shape gave rise to pregnancy speculations, with viewers theorizing that the singer is avoiding fitted clothes to hide a baby bump.

Gomez’s fans, however, reminded commentators that she cannot “carry a child” because of her health issues, namely lupus, a chronic disease where a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues and organs.

On the showbiz front, Gomez has been confirmed to make her directorial debut through Wizards Beyond Waverly Place

Image credits: Glenn Francis

Disney’s Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, the sequel to Selena Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place, will conclude this summer with a four-part third season.

Gomez will direct the premiere episode of the installment and reprise her role as Alex Russo in select episodes.

Image credits: tshegofatsomoon

Image credits: intuitivadomina

Gomez expressed her pride in the franchise in a statement at the Los Angeles premiere of the sequel in 2024.

“This is what gave me everything that I have today, and I’ll never forget that this is where I started,” the actress said.

Image credits: hungvanngo/Instagram

“It’s the best feeling in the whole world to be able to bring this back for you and to all the people who have never seen it before,” she added.

The finale is set to enter production next week, with cast members David Henrie, Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele, Max Matenko, Taylor Cora, and Mimi Gianopulos all returning.

“Why does she look like she just realized something?” a netizen said about Gomez’s viral picture